Apologies for the lack of blog on Monday, but I was recovering from a weekend of too much fun, joy, energy, and needed the headspace to work on prepping my Kickstarter launch on Thursday for Flying Sparks 2: Mob Ties.
You might be wondering what the title Feast Of War is, or why it was so much fun. I’ll explain.
The Feast of War is a gathering of men set up by philosopher Ivan Throne. The concept is to come together, discuss business, share fellowship, enjoy the fruits of labor with good food and wine, and have a place where men can get away from the world for a moment and reflect together.
It’s invaluable.
It’s also something our society’s lost that we used to have. If you look at old fraternal organizations whether it be the Freemasons or something else, these groups of men’s fellowship in community were VITAL to our societal cohesiveness, and the general happiness of men.
We allowed those institutions to dwindle, and in doing so, never replaced them with anything where we can connect on the masculine level we are supposed to. In fact, it’s been deemed bad by society that we show masculine affection toward one another.
It was a great time on multiple levels because one, on the superficial hedonistic level, it was high quality in terms of the food and accommodations, especially the atmosphere in beautiful Napa. But two, the quality of the people present meant for engaging conversations we don’t often get in our regular busy lives.
The most valuable lesson from The Feast of War is that as a man, you need to surround yourself with good men. You need to have men to bounce ideas off of, to hold you accountable, and that you’re willing to loyally do the same for them. Even if you don’t have the same hobbies – some folk were into guns, others into books and comics, others into entrepreneurship—you can still do well from listening to and talking to smart men who broaden your perspectives.
We need much more of this in our society. The Feast of War is a starting line, not a finishing point. These networks need to develop more, and I’m looking forward to putting in the work to make sure it happens in the coming years.
For now, make sure to go find a Feast of War near you.
And don’t forget on Thursday I’ll be putting up a Kickstarter for my new comic, Flying Sparks Volume 2: Mob Ties. I need everyone to back and share and push this viral. You guys are the best and I depend on you!
Some of the best times I’ve enjoyed in the last year have been times when I get together with fellow preachers, and we talk shop. There’s an orthodox priest who works for the same company as I do (we’re both bivocational pastors), and we run into one another at social gatherings along with a Lutheran minister. Oh, now that’s fun! About a year ago, we were discussing the use of art in worship services and buildings (Fr. W was extremely surprised to hear that my denomination is an art minimalist), our different takes on communion, politics within the higher church bodies, etc.
Here in Iowa, my denomination has 4 times a year where the men and boys meet together. We can all go to Breakaway in Feb, adults only can go to Man Camp in the fall, and boys can go to either Field Day or BoyzCamp in the summer (depending on their age). Those times are awesome.
The special event at BoyzCamp last year was the cardboard boat regatta. This year, they’re making catapults. Main rule: no metal at all and all pieces must be held together by lashings.